MOUNT VERNON — The Jackets stood toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the Ohio Capital Conference.
So Mount Vernon Yellow Jacket boys soccer head coach Scott Dapprich was not disappointed in his team’s 1-0 home defeat to Olentangy Orange on Tuesday.
“Yeah, I hate to lose,” said Dapprich, “but I told them I’m not disappointed in how we played the game. We are striving toward our ultimate goal.”
Orange’s lone goal came in the 32nd minute off a corner kick. The low kick rolled in front of Baker but was bounced around by a host of players from both teams. Finally, Orange’s Brandon Simon saw the ball squirt free and knocked it in.
“We didn’t clear it out,” said Dapprich. “It was skipping through there. Stopped right there on the ground. One guy made a nice move and stayed with it.”
Besides the lone goal, Mount Vernon’s defense withstood the test in Tuesday’s match. Orange, which is ranked No. 4 in the Central District, had four early scoring chances but managed no shots on goal. Seniors Seth Badger and Corey Kester and juniors Ben Cochran and Sage Whisner were a solid presence whenever Orange had the ball in its attacking third.
By the end of the match, Orange had attempted just four shots on goal.
However, the Jackets weren’t winning one-on-one battles at midfield in the first few minutes, which led to too many chances for the Pioneers.
“We had to adjust to their speed,” said Dapprich, “and our guys weren’t linking up with the right guys. I was trying to shout out some things. They had too much time and space to make some passes and runs.”
Orange’s first shot on goal came midway into the first half, when a sweeping shot was knocked away by goalkeeper Daniel Baker.
Mount Vernon responded after the goal, pouring on the offense in the closing minutes of the first half. With 30 seconds to go, Cameron McMahon took a shot from the right side that was saved then bounced away from the Pioneers’ keeper. Orange was able to control the ball before a rebound attempt.
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